NYFW: DONNA KARAN S/S 2015

There are times when watching a fashion show is full of joy and happiness, making one quite glad to be alive. There are times when watching a fashion show is full of wonder and curiosity. Then, there are times when a fashion show causes one to wonder if they have slipped through a portal upon entering, transporting them to another dimension in which some manner of reason has been suspended and the absurd is suddenly normal.

That last sentence; that is the one that describes how I felt watching the Donna Karan spring/summer 2015 presentation this afternoon. At times I felt as though I’d been caught up in a vortex where all the colors in the world were swirling together without blending. At other times I was concerned that the poor model might get in trouble for brushing up against wet paint. And then, far too frequently, I felt as though the late Theodore Geisel was going to step from behind the stage to explain, in rhyming verse, just exactly what all those hats were supposed to mean.

Hats. Hats created by Stephen Jones, specifically. The first one looked as though Ms. Karan snuck into the Vatican while no one was looking. Then, there was one that looked as though perhaps a basket had been overturned on the model’s head. And after that … well …

Remember the hat,
a red and white hat,
worn by that cat
in the book we all sat
and read?

I was actually disappointed that one didn’t make an appearance; it would have fit right in.

This is a very eclectic set from one of New York’s most fabled designers. I have to say, now that I’m out and have felt sunshine on my skin again and am looking at the pictures separately, that the dresses themselves really are quite attractive. The silhouettes run long, mid-calf or better, some full and flowing, some pleated, some pencils, and some trumpeted. Most everything is belted whether it needed the support or not, including some athletic looking two piece ensembles. Colors tended to run on the darker side of the palette, but then, they tended to run all over the place, too. Colors rarely stayed put. Although, there were a couple of notable bright red pieces that are certain to capture everyone’s attention.

Oh, and those wrist pieces; are those martial arts weapons as well?

Did we really need to make Karli Kloss any taller?

I still have a lot of questions.

These dresses are incredible and each one is in some way more fantastic than the previous. Once they are removed from the spectacle that is New York Fashion Week, their practicality and wearability will become more obvious. But fornow, we’re left with the burning question: Can I get one of those hats in time for Halloween?